


Writing On The Wall

by INSPIRETOWRITE



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Blood, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Family, Gen, Ghosts, Haunting, Humor, I wrote this a long time ago, Im kind of proud of it, Investigations, Its taken me a long time to post this, Manga & Anime, Mother-Son Relationship, Necklaces, SPR, but only on the walls, rewritten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-19 05:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22505935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INSPIRETOWRITE/pseuds/INSPIRETOWRITE
Summary: Kasumi is dragged into the world of the SPR when Mai invites her on a case. She gets more then she bargained for when the ghost takes a liking to her. With an unknown ghost causing havoc among the team they will need to solve this case quickly if they want to get out alive.
Kudos: 2





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a reworking of the first fic I ever wrote so I'm not sure how much sense it makes. Let me know what you think.

The lights flickered and dimmed causing the woman to scream and stagger into the wall. 

“Are you my mother?”

"Leave me alone, I'm not your mother!" She shrieked.

The voice seemed to consider something as the woman fled down the hall. "You're not my mother?"

"No! No, no, no, no!" The woman had hit a door and slammed her fists on it in desperation. The light flashed briefly, and the words DOOR LOCK could be seen written on the wall, still wet, rivulets of red running down the wall.

The woman turned to face her attacker, he hung in mid-air, eyes a lifeless black, skin translucent white. Bright red blood flowed from scrapes and cut all over his body. The right hand was missing, a knife clutched in the left.

"That's too bad," the dead thing said, tilting his head in a gruesomely cute way. The knife flew from his hand and pierced the woman's shoulder. The thing drew closer and the temperature dropping so much frost formed on the walls and floor. "You should have said yes."

With a final smile, it took the knife from shoulder to heart. Blood spurted and splashed across his face. He turned, asking again, "Are you, my mother?" 

Kasumi's phone buzzed as she sat in bed reading. Unlocking the screen, Kasumi sat up when she saw who had sent it.

*Good to hear from u Mai*

*Still want to come for that case?*

*Of course I do! :)*

*Good come to the office tomorrow 10 sharp*

*on it. will be there*

"Yes! Hey, mom, can I stay at Mai's house for the weekend?" Kasumi poked her head out the door and yelled down the stairs.

"Make sure to bring your homework with you," she yelled back. "I won't be going back into town until tomorrow afternoon. I'll drop you off then."

That wouldn't do she had to be there for 10 tomorrow. "I can take the bus," she said. 

Her mom appeared at the bottom of the stairs, drying her hands on a towel. She had that face only parents seem to have. Kasumi waited nervously. She was not about to tell her mother that there was a case. 

"Fine. I'll have your father drop you off tomorrow before work." 

"Thanks, mom, love you." Kasumi hurried into her room to pack. The homework got shoved into the bottom of the bag, just so she could tell her mother she had it. 

"Hey, can I come too?" Naoki asked from his room across the hall. Sounds of the game he was playing played softly under his words. 

"No, it's going to be a girl's night," she said, not wanting him to whine or tell mom and dad.

"You seem really eager for a girl's night," he said. Kasumi tensed. Why was he so sharp when she didn't want him to be?

"I haven't seen her in a while," she replied, her packing slowed. 

There was silence before he huffed. Kasumi knew he had given up. Much easier than she had expected but she would take it. 

"Thanks, dad. I'll see you Monday." Kasumi called as she slammed the car door and moved quickly to the bus stop. 

"Love you, honey. Have fun." 

Kasumi watched as her dad drove away, waving once more. Reaching for her phone she checked the time. 7:26. The bus should be here soon and if all went well Kasumi would be at the office on time. 

The bus arrived on time, and Kasumi climbed on growing more excited the closer it got to the city. Kasumi had stayed in touch with Mai after the last incident and had been invited over several times since then. She had been to the office a few times but had never been allowed on a case. 

*what am I doing?*

Mai took a minute to reply. *information*

*sweet*

Kasumi liked Yasu, this was going to be interesting. The bus pulled to a stop and Kasumi climbed off, a smile almost splitting her face. 

"Kasumi!" 

Turning she saw Mai standing down the sidewalk. Running over, Kasumi pulled her backpack tighter on her back. 

"I'm so excited!" Kasumi said. 

Mai chuckled. "Good. Took a while for Nasu to agree."

"Not a problem, I'm just happy I can come." 

The office was quiet when they arrived. The office hadn't changed since Kasumi's last visit. Naru's door was closed as usual but his voice came through anyway. "Mai, my tea."

"He hasn't changed," she said, following Mai into the little kitchenette.

"True, but he has his moments."

Kasumi gave her a knowing smirk. Mai just blushed, turning away to get the kettle ready. Naru had been the topic of many a conversation, and Kasumi knew that Mai had a thing for him. She had also noticed that Naru was either dense or chose to ignore the obvious feelings.

John arrived first greeting Kasumi happily. "Was not expecting to see you here," he said, giving her a hug. 

"Surprise," she replied. 

Monk came next followed closely by Ayako. 

"Kid, good to see you!" Monk said cheerfully. 

"You...to." Kasumi managed through Monk's death squeeze. 

Ayako smacked him. "Let her go dimwit."

"Ow!"

Kasumi laughed, rubbing her ribs. Mai brought out more cups and tea, boiling more water. Naru's tea had disappeared behind the door but no one had yet emerged. 

Masako and Yasu were the last two to arrive. Masako gave Kasumi a polite nod and Yasu gave a quick wave. 

Finally, the door to Naru's office opened. "If you're all done, I will tell you about the case."

Everyone quieted, clinking spoons on ceramic the only sound. Naru surveyed them before continuing. "The client's name is Eiko Takagi. She runs a famous spa just outside the city. Most of the clients are young women who have been going missing only to reappear dead, a knife in the heart. There are strange words written on walls that do not appear until before or after the murders. They are written in the blood of the victims. There is believed to be a connection between the words and the poltergeist activity around the house. It is unknown if this is one being or many."

"So, there's something major going on," Monk asked drawing everyone's attention.

"Yes," Naru said. Everyone was quiet until Kasumi asked a question that seemed to surprise them.

"Are the words around the house and the ones found by the bodies the same?"

"No. The ones around the house are things like, DOOR LOCK, LIGHT OUT, CHAIR BREAK. They are no more than two words. The words by the women are the same, 'Not My Mother.'"

Kasumi shivered. The words were puzzling, and how Naru said them brought a weird feeling down Kasumi's spine. The group was quiet, thinking about the words.

"That is everything. Let's go."

\------------

The client was an elderly woman who looked to be around 60. She had a kindly if stern face. Her greeting was curt. 

"Spa is shut down for two weeks, you have the place to yourselves. The room you requested is on the first floor. Any questions ask my grandson." She bowed and left.

"Let's go," Naru ordered, taking Lin with him to meet the Grandson.

Kasumi walked beside Yasu carrying part of the shelves. "I'll be helping you with your information hunt. The one condition Naru set out was that I wasn't to do anything else but that." 

Yasu laughed and hefted the camera higher, "That sounds like him. I will gladly take your help. Though be warned, I'm a strict slave driver."

"Yes sir," Kasumi gave her best salute after she placed the shelving down in the room.

The next time she went in she was beside Mai. "Sorry that the only thing I could get you was information duty," she said.

"Don't worry about it, at least I get to be here." One of the shelves in Kasumi's arms slipped and fell, making a dull thud on the ground. Mai stopped to help her, but Kasumi motioned her on. "Go ahead I got this." Maneuvering the remaining shelves took a little effort but Kasumi managed. Standing again she was greeted by a little boy about 5, he was smiling at her.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi," Kasumi was confused for a moment, where had he come from? "Something I can do for you?"

"I lost my mommy. Will you help me find her?" The boy's expression looked hopeful. Kasumi looked around. There was nothing notably wrong with the surroundings, but Kasumi still felt uneasy.

"Will you help me?" He asked again, he had moved closer.

Kasumi smiled nervously at him, "I will try."  
His smile widened, "I'm counting on you."

When she blinked, he was gone, but the feeling of being watched remained. 

Mai waved her hand in front of Kasumi's face bringing her out of her daze. 

"Are you okay?" she asked, and Kasumi blinked stupidly at her for several seconds.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get enough sleep last night so I'm just a little tired," Kasumi said.

Mai looked at Kasumi funny but didn't say anything. Walking behind her Kasumi had a feeling that there was something very important she couldn't remember. 

Trying to shake the strange feeling she bent to retrieve something but stopped halfway. What had she dropped? There was nothing on the ground, and if something had dropped, she would have noticed.

Kasumi straightened and shook her head trying to clear it. It was lack of sleep that's all it was. It had to be, right?

Kasumi hurried after Mai, who once again gave her a strange look, though it seemed to pass from her face as if she had forgotten the reason for it. 

Reaching the base, they saw Naru and Lin talking with a young man, who, Kasumi assumed, was Eiko's grandson. As they entered, the talking paused, and the man smiled at them. 

"Mai, Miss Hashimoto, this is Hibiki Minami." Hibiki bowed and they returned it. "Minami-san, this is Mai Taniyama and Kasumi Hashimoto, part of our team."

Kasumi smiled a little a this, she was part of the team. 

"Now please continue, you were telling us about the murders," Naru said.

"Yes, of course, this murder will make a total of six in the past four months. Before the killings started there were only small things; someone would trip, get their hair caught, towels or cloths would go missing, things like that. When it first started, we thought that it was just someone playing pranks of us. A rival business that felt threatened enough to do it.

"Soon it began to get worse. People started to fall down the stairs, get caught underwater or in the sauna. Things that began to do harm. We called the ambulance at least once a week and business had started to decline when the first murder happened. 

"I was on guard duty that night. Walking past the baths every 45 minutes or so is customary, and on one of my passes, I heard a noise coming from one of the baths. They're open 24/7 so I wasn't surprised that someone was there, but they were making a lot of noise, and seeing how it was late, I told them that they would have to be quieter or leave. They did and so I left.

"My next pass, they were noisy again, so I told them to quiet down, this time the noise got louder, and I said that if they didn't quiet down, I would call security. That only seemed to make the noise louder, so I pulled out my phone and while I was dialling, there was a scream from the bath. I tried to get in but the door was locked. It wasn't until the screaming stopped that it finally opened. Well, you can probably guess what was inside."

At this he paused, closed his eyes and grimaced, drawing in a breath as if gathering his courage before continuing. 

"She was dead. I searched for the attacker but found no one. The door leading to the baths was open, so I went there but found no one. After a quick search, I called 911 and security, then went back to the body. She had her towel on and was wet, so I knew she had just come from the baths. I figured that the first time I had come by she had been fine." 

"Thank you," Naru said, writing some things down. "So, what makes you think this is paranormal. From what I understand all these murders could have been done by a living human, correct?"

"The words that are left behind," Minami said after a slight hesitation. "The actions could have been done by a human, I admit, that's what granny thinks happened but, the words that appear by the women and around the house aren't something that a human would do. Nor are the things that happen when the words are found."

"The police think that this is a serial killer?" 

"Yes, I told them about the words, but they just tell me that these kinds of people are capable of doing very strange things. I want to believe them but what kind of person insane or not writes 'LIGHTS OUT' on a wall several rooms away?"

Kasumi and Mai waited for Naru to finish his thought and share it with them. At least they hoped he would. "Alright, thank you." Minami bowed looking relieved and left. Naru was quiet for several more seconds before he began ordering everyone around. John, Masako, Monk, Ayako, and Yasu had entered the room as Minami was leaving. 

"Set up cameras and thermal equipment where the first and last murders happened. Anything else comes happens put one there too." A bulletin board, that Kasumi just noticed, sat in one corner, a map with several tacks stuck in various locations, hung on its face. 

Naru was now standing. "Yasuhara go and find out any information you can on the building. Takigawa and Miss Matusaki will come with go to the sight of the first murder. Miss Hara, please do a sweep of the building, especially around where the murders happened. See if there are any other spirits. Mai and John will go to the latest murder site. Miss Hashimoto, you will stay here with Lin." 

Monk groaned but didn't protest. Kasumi sighed a little. She knew that she wasn't going to get to do anything cool, but she could at least set up cameras. Naru hadn't even sent her with Yasu for information collecting. Wasn't that supposed to be her job in this case? 

Mai shot her a glance. Kasumi just waved her on, there was nothing she could do and they both knew it. Slumped in a chair as the last of the group left, Kasumi watched Lin type away on his computer. 

She sat there for several minutes in silence the only sound was Lin's typing and the clock in the hall. Drumming her fingers once or twice on the arm of the chair, she stood and told Lin that she was going to find the bathroom. He didn't reply and Kasumi hadn't expected one. She walked out of the room finally feeling like she was doing something. 

Because finding the bathroom is very important.


	2. Bathroom

The hall was quiet as Kasumi walked down it. There seemed to be an unlimited number of hallways and identical-looking rooms. One hallway seemed to be all massage rooms, another was small pools with fish swimming around and chairs seated along the edge. The number of bathrooms seemed too few for the amount of space and soon Kasumi was lost. 

"Damn these hallways." Opening a door that looked promising was nothing but disappointment. How she'd managed to make it to the boiler room was unknown. 

"Really?" Kasumi sighed and went to close the door when something glinted. Curious and frustrated, Kasumi opened the door fully. She left it open, partly to allow the light in and partly because she was nervous. 

Whatever had glinted was stuck between several pipes, some looked old others still new. At the moment they were turned off, but Kasumi imagined they would be quite hot when on. There was the glint again. Wedged between two pipes far in the back. They looked the oldest, perhaps were even original to the building. 

It was almost compulsory when Kasumi crawled as far back as she could, getting covered with grease, rust, and dust as she did. It was shiny and she wanted it, a desire as strange as it was familiar. Breathing heavy, she reached her destination, wedged at an odd angle as she reached around a large pipe, groping blindly for the object she knew was there. When her fingers curled around it a feeling on relief bloomed in her chest and she hugged the object close. 

Getting back out of the pipe maze was harder and the amount of filth she gathered doubled. Once free of the snarling mess Kasumi sat and opened her hand. In her palm lay a necklace. It was delicate, small silver flowers bloomed along the chain a larger flower dangled from the centre, a small blue gem embedded in the middle. 

Now that she had it the feeling of needing it faded. "It's pretty," Kasumi said. Unclasping the ends, she connected them around her neck letting the flowers dangle over her shirt. Looking at her arms she noticed the smears. 

"What was I doing?" Looking at the pipes she saw her own handprints in the dust. 

Suddenly, her bladder reminded her why she was out, and Kasumi stood, brushing off as much of the dust as she could. The grease would have to stay. Finding the bathroom now was quick and as much as Kasumi felt there was something wrong, she didn't know what it was. 

She washed her face and hands in the sink and tried to rub as much of the grease out of her shirt and pants as possible. Nothing much changed but she felt better for trying. Catching sight of the necklace again in the mirror Kasumi fingered it gently. It really was pretty. 

Returning to the room found Kasumi on the receiving end of astonishment. 

"What happened to you?" Mai asked.

"I'm not sure." She didn't really so it wasn't a complete lie.

Monk snorted. "How can you not know. It's not like you can get that dirty and not know..." He trailed off. 

"What?" Kasumi asked the suddenly quiet group. 

"Kasumi, did anything strange happen to you?" Mai asked. She seemed worried.

Kasumi blinked. Maybe, but maybe not. There had been feeling, but not hers. Deciding it was easier to not think about it she replied, "I couldn't find the bathrooms." 

There was a snort from Monk causing everyone to look at him disapprovingly. They continued to be worried and Kasumi made a note to tell them everything if it ever happened again. 

She wasn't allowed to be by herself after that. Mai became a guard that followed everywhere. 

"Mai," Kasumi said, "can you not follow me into the bathroom." 

"I'm making sure you stay safe. I will never forgive myself if something happened to you. Not when I invited you."

Kasumi sighed. "I agreed to come, and nothing is going to happen to me in the bathroom. You are right outside the door and there is no other way for anyone to get in."

Mai looked at her. "You obviously don't know anything about ghosts. Fine, I will stay here but if I hear anything I'm coming in after you."

"Do what you want. I have to pee." 

There was a bathroom closer to the base and Mai had taken her to that one. The walls were a deep shade of maroon and there were flowers and paintings hung on the walls. The stall dividers were made of wood and the floor had nice tile. The mirror was large and covered most of the wall behind the double sinks. 

The echo most bathrooms had was minimized, but the silence still seemed to amplify any sound Kasumi made. It was uncomfortable. Moving quickly, she flushed and washed her hands. Reaching for the paper towel she glanced in the mirror. A little boy stood behind her, smiling. 

Gasping, she spun the paper towel basket falling to the floor. 

"You," she said.

"Me," the boy replied. "Do you like the necklace?" 

Kasumi stared. "The necklace. It's pretty."

The boy's smile grew again, stretching unnaturally wide for his face. Kasumi's breath became heavy and tiny fingers of ice began to form on the mirror. A chill gave her goosebumps as the boy's face froze. The air around him changed and a feeling of dread began to claw at Kasumi's heart. 

The boy waved his hand and pressure caused the stall doors to slam shut. The mirror behind her cracked like ice, flakes showing her back. 

"Kasumi!" Mai yelled from outside. The boy made another shooing motion before vanishing. 

"Kasumi!" Mai yelled again pitch escalating. 

"I'm okay," Kasumi yelled back. "I think."

"Open the door, it's stuck."

Slowly, Kasumi moved to the door pulling it open. Mai stood on the other side. Naru and Lin stood behind her, camera's and equipment ready. They pushed past her and set the equipment up with their usual efficiency. 

"Nothing happened to you?" Mai asked looking her over. 

Kasumi let her, feeling lost. "No. The mirror cracked." 

Naru and Lin exited the room. "There was a high amount of activity here. Did you see anything."

Kasumi thought. Tried hard to think, but nothing happened. Or nothing was supposed to happen? She shook her head. 

Naru regarded her seriously. It was strange being at the end of that stare. Something said he didn't believe her but wouldn't press right now. 

"I'm never leaving you again," Mai promised. 

Kasumi just nods.


	3. Ghosts

As it turned out Mai couldn't keep that promise long. For whatever reason, it appeared Kasumi was attracting all the attention. 

The bathroom incident was told to everyone and Kasumi sat through it all blankly. The necklace had been hidden under her shirt. She did not want the team to know she had it. It was precious to her, too precious to have their hands all over it. There were a few attempts at communicating with her but after a while of no response they gave up. 

"Mai, take her to bed. She is no use here." 

Mai nodded and grabbed Kasumi under the arm, leading her out of the base. They passed the bathroom which had been made off-limits. 

"Kasumi."

"Hm."  
"Are you okay to sleep?" 

Mai's voice was gentle, as if afraid to say something that might set her off. 

"I'm good," Kasumi said smiling a little. 

"You don't look okay. I definitely should not have brought you."

Kasumi let out a puff of air, trying to laugh. "It certainly wasn't what I expected but as I said earlier, I did agree to come."

The hallways seemed longer than Kasumi remembered. The shadows were lengthening, adding to a disorientating atmosphere that Mai sensed as much as she did.

"Let's hurry. I don't like it here." 

Kasumi agreed and the two girls quickened their step. It felt like someone was watching them, making the hair on their necks stand up. As soon as they crossed the room's threshold the feeling stopped and both let out a breath of relief. 

"I want it to go away," Kasumi said, laying out the sleeping bag Mai had brought for her. 

"Hm. Usually, I don't notice it this quickly. Something must not want us here." Mai agreed.

"Should I sleep?" Kasumi asked now concerned. 

Mai sighed, looking unsure. "I don't know. From past experience, sleeping ends up helping the case but it always comes with problems." 

She shrugged apologetically. 

"I feel like there's something I'm supposed to remember," Kasumi said. The two had lain down on their respective sleeping bags. 

"About the bathroom?"

"Before that too. Something about this morning, but I can't. I don't know, it's frustrating because I also feel that I know something will happen."

Mai was quiet and Kasumi had no idea what was going on. "Would one of us be able to help?" 

"Maybe?" Kasumi groaned. "I don't know. It might be good to try since I have a feeling that it won't go away until that something happens. Now I sound crazy."

Mai patted her arm. "Not crazy. I've seen worse."

Kasumi snorted. "Thanks, that makes me feel better." 

"Should we go ask then?"

"Yes."

Kasumi didn't move, keeping her gaze on the ceiling. Mai looked back at her from the door. "Kasumi?"

"Now I feel stupid for going back just after we left."

Mai didn't say anything for a while and Kasumi lifted her head a little trying to see what she was doing. She looked thoughtful. Laying back down, Kasumi stayed quiet too. 

"We need Naru's help and I no one will think your stupid for doing it. Naru may give you a look."

Kasumi snorted. "He does that no matter what I do. Alright, let's go then."

Kasumi heaved herself up, tired, though nothing had really been done.

The walk back down the hall was just as unnerving as the first time. The event this morning and the happening this afternoon pressed on her. The necklace felt heavy against her neck but she was still unwilling to show it. She had crawled through pipes to get it so it had to be important, but there was still a feeling of not wanting to dirty it. 

The room was almost empty except for Lin and Yasu who looked to have just arrived. 

"You're up. I thought you were sleeping?" Yasu asked, looking unconcerned. 

Strangely enough, Kasumi was glad for it. "I need Naru's help. Maybe."

"He went to go check on the cameras. While you're here help with this." 

On his lap and spread over the table were stacks of paper. Some had records of one sort or another and a few had drawings of house plans. He seemed to have some sort of organization to them so Kasumi picked them up gently, placing them back where she found them. 

"How can I help?"  
"Go through these and pull out all of the dates before 1930." 

Settling down beside him, Kasumi did as she was told. The pile she had been given was a collection of badly photocopied newspaper clippings. Most of them she knew without looking that they were far too recent, and the stack quickly dwindled. Mai got roped in too and sat across from them going through her own stack. 

Naru arrived halfway through their searching, stared at Kasumi for a while before talking to Lin. Kasumi wanted to go talk to him but it did not seem to be a good time. She would do it later. Everyone else had to say something to her but they eventually stopped, and she could focus again on the clippings. There were a few that were almost impossible to read; these Kasumi put on a pile beside her to decipher later. 

Upon discovering one such copy a horrible smell filled the room. Kasumi tried not to gag and quickly abandoned the pages for her nose. 

Yasu looked startled. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you smell that?" 

The blank looks on the other's faces confirmed that they did not. The smell intensified causing Kasumi to breathe slowly through her mouth. 

"Miss Hara." Naru's voice was sharp.

She immediately began to search. "It is faint but there."

"In the room?"

"No, it is close. I can not pinpoint it."

Looking down at her lap the picture on the scan seemed larger than it should be. "Ah."

"What?"

Kasumi picked up the copy, the smell fading as she did. Masako informed them that the spirit was leaving. "The building."

Yasu took the page frowning at it. "Curse photocopies. It's hard to read, but I should be able to figure it out."

The picture was of an old factory. Several sections of the wall had fallen in and there were vines and plants growing up the remaining. 'Construction on New Commercial Building' could be made out. 

"Maybe the original building?" Yasu theorized. 

"Get on it," Naru told him. 

After several minutes Yasu spoke, "The date says 1910."

Kasumi, Mai, and the other immediately started looking for dates around that time. 

"The property was owned by a Mr. Goya..." Yasu didn't get to finish as suddenly the room gave a violent heave, displacing everyone. Everything started to float, only to be thrown roughly to the ground. Next, the room seemed to shift, sliding everything to the left. Masako screamed as the door seemed to swallow her, Monk gave a yell as he and Yasu got caught behind the couch, backs against the wall, pushing at it with there feet. 

Kasumi landed painfully on the table, the papers causing her to slide off almost immediately though they also cushioned her fall a little. Just as quickly as it had started the room settled. It was a disaster, Lin and Naru were trapped under the bookcase in the corner, and with some help from Mai and Ayako, managed to get out with no major injuries. Masako limped back into the room. With the change in orientation, the couch was no longer pressing against the boys and they managed to push it away. John was helping Kasumi from the floor. 

John had a nasty looking scrape on his leg and Masako had sprained her ankle but there were no other major injuries. The windows had shattered, and glass was everywhere, the books and everything else was scattered on the floor. All the furniture had moved or toppled over. 

"Everyone alive?" Naru asked. Everyone made a noise to let him know they were. John gasped and drew everyone's attention to the wall. 

"Look." 

Everyone gazed in horror at the writing on the wall. 

ROOM JUMP, ROOM SLIDE 

Written in fresh blood.


	4. Necklace and Dreams

For a while no one said anything. The blood continued to drip down the wall, making bring red steaks.

Masako was the first to speak, "It's back."

Everyone was suddenly at attention. The air grew heavy and breath fogged slowly. Then a laugh cut through the room and everyone froze. It was so cold that the air in the room dropped several degrees.

The lights flickered, and it seemed as if the walls were closing in. "Why is there so much activity happening all at once," Monk yelled over the cries of pain that filled the room.

A ghostly boy floated through the wall, his appearance causing everyone to pull away. Monk had been tending to John's leg and Lin to Masako's ankle when he appeared. He was smiling. If it could be called that. 

Kasumi shuddered as the gaze landed on her. "Found you," he sang. 

With a whistle, two bright balls of light slashed across his path. The boy halted, his smile taking on a sinister edge. He turned his gaze to Lin whose Shiki swirled around him. With another whistle, they attacked again. The boy seemed to smirk as he simply stood there the Shiki parting to either side. 

"Can't get away," the boy sang again. 

The necklace felt hot on Kasumi's skin and the desire to pull it out, burned along with it. It took physical effort to not reach under her shirt and remove it. The boy's hollow eyes shone a pale light as he moved closer. Monk moved in front of her, chanting. 

The boy never lost his smile but now he seemed annoyed. With another blast of resentful energy, the boy disappeared. Kasumi took a heaving breath, the air returning to her lungs. The necklace continued to burn, and she pulled it out almost ripping it from her neck in hast. It clattered loudly in the silence. 

"What is that?" 

Kasumi looked at Naru. "I don't know."

Naru clenched his jaw. "Don't know or won't tell us."

Mai looked angrily at him. "You can't be accusing her!" 

"I can accuse her if I like. The ghost was obviously after you. Now, what is it." 

"I don't know." Naru went to say more but Kasumi continued. "It's what I found after crawling through the pipes. I felt like I had to."

Naru didn't relax, still looking at Kasumi with some suspicion. Mai had moved to Kasumi's side putting an arm around her protectively. He walked closer and reached down for the necklace only for him to pull back quickly. 

Lin was beside him checking his hands. "Interesting," he said looking between it and Kasumi. "Monk."

After a brief hesitation Monk came over and tried also. The result was the same. Naru looked back at Kasumi. She knew he wanted her to pick it up, but she didn't want to. The look the boy had given her had not been welcoming and Kasumi did not want to be in possession of an object he wanted. She did, however, pick it up. 

This got a few astonished faces and a calculating look from Naru. "Interesting." 

Kasumi didn't want to put it back on, so instead put it in her pocket. 

"Lin, look into this," Naru said and Lin nodded. 

Kasumi knew she had to follow him, so she stood and joined him. The others went around cleaning up the papers. They would have to go through them again to find what they needed. There were a few grumbles but mostly just tense silence. Mai had wanted to join Kasumi but Naru told her to help the others. 

"Bring it out."

Pulling it from her pocket, Kasumi resisted the urge to drop it. It suddenly felt filthy and Naru noted her expression with interest. She placed it on the table, and he circled it a few times. 

"You said something compelled you?" 

Surprised, Kasumi started. "Yes."

There were a few more minutes of silence as Naru and Lin poked and scanned the necklace with several devices. Just when Kasumi was about to snatch it away Naru stood back. 

"Take it."

Relieved, Kasumi took it and placed it in her pocket. It no longer belonged around her neck but neither did it deserve to get dirtied by the hands of strangers. Naru once again noted her expression. 

The continued search for related material went fairly well but they soon discovered that the original paper was gone. Yasu wrote what he managed to make out, but it wasn't much. It was unclear what the ghost had reacted to, but it was clear that the necklace and the name Mr. Goya were important.

"Go to bed," Naru said a couple of hours later. "Be ready for tomorrow." 

There was a general shuffling as the group prepared to leave. Mai and Kasumi made their way back to their sleeping bags. 

"Do you think anything else will happen?" Kasumi asked as they bundled in. 

"I hope not," Mai replied. "At least not tonight. How are you?"

"Scared. I don't want to be possessed." 

"You did agree to come."

Kasumi chuckled, "Yes I did, although now I'm beginning to wonder if I should stay away in the future. I don't think I'm cut out for this."

Mai hummed a little in agreement. 

"You're supposed to say that everything will be fine," Kasumi said, taking on a hurt tone.

"I can't exactly lie to you now can I."

There were a few seconds of silence before Kasumi laughed. "No, you can't."

"Why me?" Kasumi asked after a while and got a sleepy response from Mai.

"We'll find out tomorrow." 

Thankfully, the night was silent. Kasumi managed to get a little sleep though she dreamt of pain and stench. Betrayal and anger. She awoke the next morning feeling just as exhausted as last night. She yawned through the whole morning meeting and nearly fell asleep over the papers Yasu had given her to go over. 

"Did you not sleep?" Mai asked after the third time she had nodded off and almost fallen over. 

"I fell asleep...I think. There were these dreams though." 

That got Mai's attention. "Tell me."

Kasumi shook her head. "There wasn't enough to know anything just pain and betrayal. There might have been yelling but nothing I can recall." 

Mai looked around. Naru was gone and Yasu was absorbed in his papers. "Try falling asleep again."

"I would rather not."

"I know, believe me, but it seems your dreams relate to the case." Mai urged Kasumi to lie down. 

Finally, Kasumi did and as her eyes closed the visions came. Pain. Blood. Screams. Laughter. An old building and empty rooms. A necklace. Mom. Mom. "Mom!" 

Gasping, Kasumi jolted upright. Mai looking at her both startled and expectant. 

"Let's never do that again," Kasumi said, shivering, cold sweat dripping down her back. 

"What happened?"

The room was still empty but Lin and Yasu were looking over at them. "I know how he died," she said lowly, not wanting anyone but Mai to hear at the moment. 

She nodded, "Tell me later?" 

Kasumi agreed. It turned out later was much sooner than she thought. She tried to pay attention after that but couldn't manage it. Her mind was full of images and sounds and feelings. Mai continued to glance over at her worried and neither of them got anything done. 

"If you're not going to work leave," Yasu said annoyed. 

Both girls jolted looking guilty. "Sorry, Yasu," Mai said. 

Yasu just waved them away. "How about a walk?" Kasumi proposed. 

Mai nodded and with a wave to the room the two left. They didn't have a destination in mind, so they wondered. 

"I hate this," Kasumi said after a while. "I'm useless."

Mai put a comforting hand on her shoulder. There wasn't much she could say so she chose to say nothing. Kasumi sighed but took the gesture for what it was. They had made it to the second floor and neither noticed the blur that hid the stairs behind them. 

"They have so many things here," Kasumi commented as they passed one of the rooms. 

Inside there were several massage tables, the curtains dividing each hanging limply between. The air still smelt slightly of scented oil. The mixture of which made a pleasant if slightly off smell. Intrigued, the two girls walked into the room. Kasumi walked over to the oil cabinet and Mai went over to the window. 

"It has an amazing view," she said pulling back the blinds. 

The light illuminated the dimly lit room bringing the colours to their natural fullness. Kasumi frowned when she noticed that the tables looked old and worn. "I thought this was a prosperous spa house?" 

"It is, or was," Mai replied. "Why?"

"These tables look uncomfortable and uncared for."

Mai pushed the blinds apart further and joined Kasumi in inspecting one of the tables. "Maybe they haven't gotten around to updating these yet?"

"Maybe."

A strange feeling overcame the two and both agreed it was time to go back. When they turned, however, the door was closed. "Did you?"

Kasumi shook her head, "No."

They ran to the door, pushing and shoving it but nothing moved. The room went dark. 

"Mai!"

"Here." Kasumi reached for Mai letting out a cry when she was torn away. 

"Kasumi!" Mai called frantically.

Kasumi's wrist burned; there would no doubt be marks. Whatever had pulled her had disappeared, but she knew it was still somewhere in the room. "Careful Mai. The ghost."

She heard Mai's affirmation but then a smell overcame her. It was the same one from the earlier. Kasumi almost threw up, hurriedly covering her mouth and nose. It smelt like rotting flesh and unwashed bodies. The odour was much worse than before, and Kasumi wondered if Mai could smell it this time. 

"Mai!" she called but got no response. "Mai!"

A sweet scent began to wiggle under the stench and Kasumi wondered only briefly about its origin. Her vision began to blur even in the darkness, and she felt herself losing consciousness. Floating in the darkness was the smile of the boy. "Got you," he whispered. 

Kasumi opened her eyes to a ceiling. "Mai?" she said, voice hoarse. 

"Your awake, oh thank God," John exclaimed. Turning her head Kasumi saw that she was back at the base. John was slumping in a chair across from her. 

"What...?" Ayako was there too looking worried. "Where's... Mai?"

"Here," she said sounding weak. 

"You have a knack for attracting things." Naru's voice sounded both annoyed and intrigued. 

"The boy?" 

"Escaped," Mai said. Kasumi looked confused. "I don't really understand it either, but something helped. Just as he was about to reach for you a white light went through him and he vanished."

Kasumi breathed deeply, trying to remember what she could. "There was that smell again."

Mai nodded. "I smelt it too, it was horrible."

"Did you see anything?" Naru asked.

"Nothing besides the boy but..." she paused. "There was a smell. Another one."

Naru looked expectant but Kasumi couldn't really remember much about it. "Give her some time, Naru," Mai said. "She had it worse than I did."

"No, she has to remember. Too much has happened, we can not wait."

Mai protested. Kasumi just lay back and closed her eyes. The smell was right there. "Perfume."

The arguing halted. "It was perfume," Kasumi repeated. "Or maybe the oils."

"Why perfume?" Naru asked.

Kasumi sat up slowly, leaning against the back of the couch. She looked between the gathered people. "I don't know."

A memory wiggled its way to the front of her mind but there wasn't enough capacity at the moment to make sense of it. It sat there patiently. The others talked around her while Kasumi felt herself sag. This was not at all what she was expecting when she agreed to come. It's a good thing her mother didn't require check-in calls. Mother. 

Sitting up abruptly, she disturbed the balance her body had achieved. Her vision blurred but she could feel hands steadying her. "Mother."

The others looked at her with varying expressions of concern. They thought she was crazy, and maybe she was. "Mother, it was the boy's mother."

"His mother?" Mai asked. "The light?"

"Yes, from the dreams." 

"Dreams," Naru said. "Explain."

Kasumi bit her lip nervously. "I was supposed to tell you how he died," she said to Mai. 

Mai sighed, "Yes, I suppose you were."

Naru stared hard at them. "Last night I had a dream about the boy. When I couldn't remember much Mai told me to sleep again, saying it would help. The boy's death was ... horrible. I would like to never remember it." 

Kasumi had the rooms full attention. "He and his mother were kidnapped and kept in a warehouse where the boy was tortured daily. One day his mother vanished, and a woman told him that she had abandoned him. He died shortly after." 

Taking out the necklace she put it on the table. "This was her's, the mothers. That's why the boy wants it." 

They all stared at the necklace glowing softly under the light. It looked so innocent but had caused Kasumi so much trouble. She still had mixed feelings about it.

"The question still remains of why Kasumi was the one to find it," Naru said.

Eyes were on her again, but she had no answer. She didn't know either. 

"Since you are the holder of the necklace and subsequently the target of the ghost you are not allowed to leave here unless accompanied by Monk or Lin. Understood." 

Kasumi sighed but nodded. Naru just had to make her more of a prisoner. Although she knew the reasons behind the command, it didn't make it any easier. Mai sat with her for a while before being called away to check the cameras. 

Kasumi tried to help Yasu again but couldn't focus. Yasu finally took the papers away from her. Nothing else to do she watched the screens with Lin for a while before that got boring and sat back on the couch, slouching into it. Not having gotten a good night's sleep but also scared to Kasumi tried her best to stay awake. It was, however, a losing battle and eventually, her eyelids closed. 

She was at the entrance, the boy she had met there standing in front of her. 

"I'm glad you're not hurt," he said. 

Kasumi frowned, confused. "What?"

"I would have gotten there sooner, but she has gotten stronger. You must be careful. Guard the necklace well and I will try to help again if I can," the boy said, for once not smiling. 

"Who are you?" There was no way this was the same boy from before and yet, he felt familiar. 

"I'll help if I can," he repeated before vanishing. 

"Help with what!" Kasumi yelled but didn't get an answer. She had seen him before; she knew she had. Now it was just remembering where. 

Kasumi's eyes opened slowly, sleep making them sticky. Yawning, she sat up, feeling better than she had before. The dream was curious and not wanting to forget it she took a piece of paper and wrote down all she could remember. The boy's warning that she was getting stronger was strange too. Who was the 'she' he was referring to? 

Mai was passed out on the chair beside her and other than Lin, the room was empty. Stretching, Kasumi joined him at the monitors. 

"Where is everyone?" she asked but immediately saw them on the monitors. "Nevermind." 

They were in the room where the first murder happened, taking measurements and readings of various kinds. Masako was standing in the middle of the room concentrating and Kasumi had a feeling something was going to go wrong. 

Of course, it did.


	5. The Boy

The camera blinked out as the equipment started to beep rapidly. Lin frowned, tapping away at the keys. His earpiece squawked as the room's occupants frantically tried to figure out what was going on. The feeling of wrongness intensified within Kasumi who wanted to dash out. 

"She's here." 

The voice was so clear Kasumi spun around. The boy wasn't there but she knew he had said it. That 'she' again, who was he talking about? Mai had woken at the noise and joined them at the monitors. 

"We should help them," she said.

"No, it's dangerous," Lin said as calm as ever. "You would only get in the way."

He was right but that didn't make staying any easier, not when the voices of their friends sounded so panicked. The screen was still dark but the camera's around the spa showed that the whole building was affected by the boy. Bloody words appeared on the walls as their instructions were carried out. 

The room they were in shook, the shelves and their contents rattling dangerously. The necklace in Kasumi's pocket suddenly felt heavy as the activity seemed to migrate towards them. 

"Run, I can not help you here." The voice again. Kasumi hesitated. It was the boy, but she still didn't know if he could be trusted. "Run!" Again, more urgently. 

"Fine!" Kasumi bolted. She heard a self crash behind her and Mai's panicked call. The desire to turn around almost won out but the pale shimmering light of the boy beckoned her forward. When had he gotten there? The building was a mess and several times Kasumi had to dodge things as they came flying out of the rooms. 

The glowing apparition didn't stop until they had made it to the basement, made creepier by the darkness and terrible moaning that had started as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. 

"What now?" she said but turned and saw that the ghostly boy was gone. 

The building was still shaking, and the darkness felt heavy. The nauseating smell was back, and this time Kasumi retched. Expelling everything she had left her feeling weak, the smell penetrating every pore of her body. Her gasps filled the quiet air. It felt damp like she was underground. The floor seemed to change from cement to dirt and pain erupted from her back. She screamed. 

Flattened to the floor she tasted dirt and blood. Her expelled lunch pooled to her left. She was going to die. She should never have gone with the ghost. 

"Mine!" The air moaned, pushing against Kasumi's eardrums.

Kasumi wrapped her arms around her head as the noise continued at a painful hum. 

"Mine!" the voice repeated and suddenly the boy was in front of her again. His eyes glowed brighter and his grin was again to wide for his face. He stared at Kasumi with glee and reached towards her. "Mother! Mine!"

Kasumi tried to scream again but all the air had gotten trapped in her lungs. Horrified, she watched as he reached towards her with his stumpy right arm. 

The air vibrated as a pulse echoed through the room. The grotesque smile on the boy's face migrated into an even more grotesque frown, his eyes flaring. As suddenly as he appeared, he was gone taking the heavy air and stench with him. In his place was another boy. 

"I have her restrained for now, but it won't hold long. I can not help you destroy her, but I have faith you will have no problem." He smiled, but it too was too wide to look natural. 

Kasumi just took in air, the stench still lingering in her nose and mouth. She could still taste the blood and spit out the dirt. She glared at the ghost; she hated him. He didn't seem to make any other expression but that one and Kasumi no longer liked it. 

"I am never listening to you again," she said. 

The boy didn't seem to care much and just continued to smile at her. Pushing herself up from the ground, Kasumi coughed. "Why did I agree to this?"

It took her a few tries to get standing and once up she wavered, but she knew she needed to get out of the basement. The stairs were hard, but the handrail helped and eventually, Kasumi made it to the light of the first floor. She collapsed onto the wooden floor, never more grateful for light then she was now. 

Monk found her. She cut off his tirade. "I know. I'm stupid. You don't need to say it." 

He looked at her equal parts disapproving and worried. Kasumi stood slowly and with the help of Monk managed to make it to the sleeping room. Monk had wanted to take her directly to the base, but she had convinced him not to. There was too much she had to figure out herself. 

The boy appeared again, and she wanted to hit him. Monk didn't move and Kasumi knew the boy had done something. "You must hurry. I can only hold her for a few hours at most," he said.

"You almost got me killed," Kasumi said, knowing it would do no good to accuse him but doing it anyway. 

"She was stronger than I thought."

Swallowing down her rage Kasumi asked, "How do we stop her."

"You must return to her what she has lost though she will not recognize it for what it is."

"The necklace?"

The boy didn't respond as he vanished. Monk squatted beside her. "I'm getting everyone, they need to know." 

Kasumi just nodded still not understanding the detail she had noticed before the boy disappeared. He had two hands.

The tongue-lashing Kasumi got when Mai entered would put her mother to shame. 

"How many times do I have to tell you not to follow ghosts!"

"You've never told me that," Kasumi said. 

This got pursed lips and a frown from Mai before she was tackled with a hug. 

"I would very much like to not lose you, so please, be more careful."

"Apparently I can't promise that, but I will try my best."

"That means not following anything that isn't human," Mai said pulling back. 

Kasumi couldn't help but snort and glance over at Naru who was watching her with his usual stare. "It would appear things are more complicated then they seem," she said. 

"That sounds ominous," Monk said. 

"It would appear we have two ghost boys instead of one."

"Two?" Mai asked. 

"The one I met as we were unpacking and the one just now."

"How do you know?" John said. 

Kasumi looked at the group. "He had two hands. I didn't notice at first but the one I met had both his hands while the other one doesn't. The two-handed boy also keeps saying 'she', like he's referring to the other ghost." 

Naru was frowning again. "Two ghosts have never appeared before." 

"I was also informed that the two-handed ghost has the other one confined for now, but we need to hurry, he can't hold it long. Said something about returning what was hers."

"The necklace," Mai said. 

"That's what I thought too."

"How are we supposed to do that?" she asked, looking weary.

"Something to do with the basement. That is where I was led." 

No one disagreed and it was decided that they would investigate the basement. Kasumi stayed in the sleeping room with Monk and Mai. Her back still hurt and the necklace was now a constant weight in her pocket. She desperately wanted to take it out but knew that would be a bad idea. It was silent and tense. Kasumi lay on her sleeping bag and regarded her wrist. Where the ghost had grabbed her had bruised and she wondered what she was going to tell her mother. Maybe they would disappear before she went home? That was probably wishful thinking. 

She had just started to fall asleep when the door banged open. Jerking awake Kasumi got ready to run but sagged back down when she saw Monk. 

"Don't do that," Kasumi said. 

"Kazuya said to bring you."

"Where?"

"Wouldn't say. Come on can't keep him waiting."

There was no way that Naru would not tell Monk where they were going. It wasn't efficient to not tell him right away. Monk was confident that she would follow. Kasumi watched him leave. She was not following him. Also, no one called him Kazuya. 

"Kasumi? Come on." 

"I'm too tired. Tell Naru that I'll be here if he needs me." Kasumi lay back down.

Monk didn't seem to know what to do. He stood with one hand on the door frame staring at her. Any other time she would not have thought twice about following, but after that last experience, she had learned enough that following could be dangerous. Maybe she was learning something after all. 

"Very well." Monk left. Kasumi sighed with relief.

She was just nodding off to sleep again when the door opened a second time. Alert this time Kasumi waited. This time Naru appeared. His stare was so normal that Kasumi was halfway up when he spoke. 

"Please come down to the base."

Kasumi froze. This wasn't Naru either. He would never say please. Looking closer she saw that it was almost Naru but not quite. What was going on? 

"I'll be down in a sec, just let me change."

It took a few moments before Naru nodded and left. Something was going on and she needed to figure it out. Kasumi would not let something like before happen again. Once was enough. This probably meant not following the obviously-not-Naru but she had a feeling the parade of people would continue until she followed.

Deciding she should at least look normal she changed her shirt, double-checking to make sure the necklace was still in her pocket. It was, and that somehow made her feel worse. 

The hallway was clear, but Kasumi traversed it cautiously. Nothing looked out of place but there was a sense of deja vu Kasumi couldn't shake. It took her a moment to realize that the shadows had not moved. A shiver crawled up her spine. The smell from the basement haunted her nose and Kasumi had to double-check that it was just that; a haunting. 

Her bare feet seemed to stick to the floor and her hands grew clammy. At every corner, she peeked around it before committing herself to the new space. Time passed slowly. Arriving at the base Kasumi paused hands on the door. There would either be something on the other side or there would be nothing and Kasumi wasn't sure which scared her more. Deciding it was easier just to get it over with she flung open the door. 

There was nothing. The only thing that remained was darkness. The memory of the basement resurfaced, and it took every ounce of Kasumi's will power not to become a mess on the ground. The nothingness undulated and Kasumi screamed. She was out; she was so out.

Slamming the door closed Kasumi sprinted down the hall no longer caring what was around the corners. Nothing mattered now except getting away. 

A hand appeared on her shoulder. Screaming again Kasumi slapped it away. Had whatever that thing been followed her? The hand came again. As Kasumi tried to escape, she tripped and landed heavily on her side. Scrambling up she could feel her back tingle as the hand drew closer. A moan followed it. It was getting hard to breathe. 

"Leave me alone!"

"You know I can't do that Kasumi." The words echoed and the unmoving shadows now had a life of their own. They reached. Grasped. 

Kasumi!

A small voice forced the shadows back. 

Kasumi!

The hand retreated replaced with light and Kasumi almost fainted. 

"Kasumi!"

She knew that voice.

"Kasumi!" 

The voice had changed. More commanding. Kasumi's eyes opened slowly. The surroundings were slow to orient themselves. Her instincts told her to run before her brain had time to order the chaotic images. She was still on her sleeping bag, the slippery material underneath her shifting as she sat up slowly. 

Bleary and exhausted Kasumi sucked in a deep breath. The stench was gone. The wall was dark with unmoving shadows. Human presence was comforting. 

"You look like you've been hit with a truck." Monk was normal. Kasumi puffed a laugh. Tears threatening to spill.

"Tell me everything." Naru was bossy. 

Good, everything seemed normal, but Kasumi was far from trusting everything in this place. Mai was eye level looking like she had just found her kid playing in the middle of the street. 

"This needs to end," Kasumi said. "I'm done with this.”


	6. What Happened in the Basement

The door to the base loomed. Mai's arm was a comfort, wrapped around Kasumi's shoulders. 

"I wish I could just leave," Kasumi mumbled. 

Naru, Mai and Monk were the only ones with her. It was fine. The others would be on the other side of the door. There was nothing to worry about. She was not alone this time. Except she wasn't sure if they could be trusted. She'd develop trust issues by the end of this. 

Once more taking the door in hand she flung it open. It hit the wall with a bang, startling everyone inside. There were people this time, but for all she knew, it could be a trick of whatever had been there before. It took a gentle push from Mai to get Kasumi to cross the threshold. Yasu looked like he wanted to say something, and Ayako was looking worriedly at her. It was a relief. 

"It would seem this investigation is getting dangerous. What has everyone found out." 

"This used to belong to a certain man. When it was originally built there was a lot of secrecy around the building and no one could get close to it. The owner had a son and wife who were kidnapped and never found. When the man finally died the building was left empty for several years. It wasn't until a drug business made their base here that the police came and took it over. The upper floors were soon demolished and rebuilt but the basement is original. 

This is the first establishment to use the building after it was rebuilt. Many believed it was haunted and the reputation deterred any interested buyers. When the owner's father bought the place, the construction had many problems resulting in the project often being delayed, but the owner's father was stubborn and brought an exorcist. After that things settled down."

"Only now appearing again," Naru said.

"Who's the ghost then?" Monk asked.

The collective gaze turned to Kasumi, but she didn't know either. Nobody mentioned had stuck out as a possible candidate unless the original owner died with a grudge. Something about the wife and son nagged at her though. She didn't want to remember the horrible experience, but the boy kept coming to mind. 

"The boy," Kasumi said distractedly. 

"A puzzle we have to solve," Naru said. "Miss Hashirma you will stay here with me everyone else, check the rooms once more."

Everyone stood and did as Naru ordered. Mai kept looking at Kasumi, worried, but Kasumi was too distracted to notice. Naru said a few things to her and she nodded, not hearing. 

The boy, the 'she' he kept talking about, and the basement were on repeat in her mind. Something about the experience was important and it bothered Kasumi that she couldn't remember. Mai had said that her dreams could be important, but Kasumi did not want to go through that again. At the same time, if she didn't, would this case ever end?

Deciding it would be better to get it over with Kasumi made herself comfortable on the couch and closed her eyes. Only to open them immediately. Naru stood over her. 

"Please come with me." 

The shadows were once again painted onto the walls and Kasumi's bare feet were inside worn leather shoes. Her hands were clasped in front of her, small, delicate and definitely not hers. Her almost black hair hung loosely around her shoulders and the pattering of her heartbeat was painful against her ribs. 

"When can I see my son?" 

"Soon."

Their voices echoed. She blinked and the location changed. Instead of the familiar hallways, the shadows were plastered onto dirt walls and the temperature had dropped several degrees. A foul stench permeated the air, now something quite familiar to Kasumi. Her wrists hurt and her back was against the cold wall. Naru stood in front of her, a smile on his face and a metal instrument in his hand. 

"This should hurt a lot."

Kasumi struggled. She clenched as the metal tore painfully into her skin. Suddenly, she was no longer confined. She looked down at the broken body of her son. The blood was still fresh. His face contorted in pain and tears made trails down his face. 

She dropped. "My son. My son, what have they done to you." 

Her shaking hand passed through the little boy. Fingers curling, hate rising, she turned away to seek her revenge. 

Kasumi was torn awake; delusions of revenge fading to nothing. She lay on the floor staring at the ceiling, gasping. Sweat beaded on her brow and ran down her back. How she wanted a shower. Sitting up stretched stiff muscles. Looking around she couldn't see much past the shadow of a table the only illumination from a dirty old light that hung dangerously on the wall. 

The stench was everywhere. Kasumi's clothes were wet, and she tried not to think about the feel of it against her fingers. It was hard not to throw up again. From the shadows appeared the boy. The two-handed one. 

"What do you want?" 

"Peace. Which I can not have until you give peace to her." 

"How, exactly, am I supposed to do that? You keep dragging me around and I can't keep track of all the information." 

"She waits in the basement." 

Kasumi sat up then promptly fell off the couch. The necklace was sharp against her leg. She lay there for a few seconds processing all the had occurred. She was so done with this. Naru was looking over curiously and Lin couldn't be bothered to look away from his computers. 

"Ouch," Kasumi said quietly. "Why does it have to be me?" 

_You were convenient_

"Well, that's just great."

Pushing herself up, Kasumi dug the necklace out of her pocket almost throwing it on the table. It clattered dully the light catching on its facets. It was the ugliest thing Kasumi had ever seen. Naru had turned back to the computers. Kasumi knew it would be useless to talk until everyone got there so she sat quietly. Impatiently. 

It appeared to have only been minutes that she had been asleep. The others returned and Kasumi was moving her knee in annoyance. 

"What took you so long?" she demanded when everyone was back. 

She could not seem to stop the surge of anger that had slowly made its way into her chest. It was ugly and grotesque just like the necklace which seemed to shine less and less. 

"What's wrong with you?" Monk asked.

Kasumi had to bite her lip to keep from snapping at him. 

"We have a lead," Naru said. He sent a look towards her and a bubble of emotion burst. 

"I've been waiting here, and you dare ask me what's wrong? I didn't even want to come on this stupid case, but Mai insisted. Nothing has gone the way I wanted it to and several times I've almost died! Are you going to compensate me for the trauma that I've experienced? I didn't think so, so do not talk to me that way."

Finished, for now, Kasumi sat back, arms crossed and face set in a scowl. The others didn't know what to say. An awkward silence settled over the room as the others found seats. The couch Kasumi sat on was left empty. 

"Tell me what you have Miss Hashimoto."

"Tsk, can't even do your job. Fine, the boy with two hands says to return what we have to the basement. That is the only way to get 'her' to rest. The one-handed boy is his mother." 

"How can the one-handed boy be the two-handed boy's mother?" John asked.

Kasumi glared at him. "Stupid as well as incompetent."

John looked hurt. 

"There is no need for that. What has gotten into you?" Ayako asked. 

Kasumi just scoffed and rose higher in her seat, arms unfolding and resting primly on her thighs. 

"What's wrong with her?" Mai said almost glaring at Naru. "You were supposed to watch her." 

"I did."

"Obviously not."

"I never said I would stop anything from happening to her. I only said that she would stay here with me and she did. She is our clue to getting the case solved." 

Mai fumed. "She is both my friend and responsibility if something happens to her I will never forgive you."

"As you wish, but this case needs to be solved if she has any hope of getting out safely." 

"If your lover's spat is finished can we move on?" Kasumi said looking bored. "I made an appointment and can not be late for it." 

"Continue."

"That ugly thing on the table is necessary though I can't imagine why. I have dozens more at home that look better than this. Bet it cost a pretty penny though."

The change in attitude and demeanour shocked everyone. 

"Bet it would sell for a like too." 

Mai had turned to Naru preparing to speak when he started first. "Gather the equipment we need. We leave as soon as everything's ready."

There was a flurry of movement as everyone collected what they would need. It wasn't much and they were soon ready. 

"Follow us," Naru said.

"Don't suppose any you got a light?" Kasumi asked as she stood and shoved the necklace into her pocket. "Seems I've forgotten." 

With the following negative talking ceased. Even Monk couldn't find a joke to make. Kasumi swaggered; a look that was strange on her. There was no movement from the ghost as the group made their way to the basement stairs. 

"Any of you want to go first?" Kasumi asked. Her swagger had died. She shifted from foot to foot nervously. 

"You're the one with the necklace," Monk said. 

"Don't mean I have to be."

"We are behind you," Naru said. 

"Is not that I'm worried about." Kasumi descended slowly. The unnatural darkness was thick enough that Kasumi vanished as soon as she landed on the first stair. Mai hurried after. The rest of the party followed but were soon lost in the darkness. 

Kasumi hit the dirt first, whatever artificial confidence she had disappeared quickly. She'd become paranoid and afraid of the dark. 

"Guys?" The shadows swallowed the sound. A scrabbling echoed to her right. That had better just be rats. 

Not wanting to move but knowing not doing so could be more dangerous, Kasumi took a few tentative steps forward. 

"I hate this. I hate this. I hate this," she chanted, hoping that it would work like one of Monk's mantras. Of course, it didn't. 

The cold was not subtle as it blasted into Kasumi. She staggered. "I really absolutely hate this."

"Guys?" She tried again, this time getting a reply. Just not the one she wanted. 

"Follow me."

Kasumi was tempted to ignore the boy and go the other direction. The necklace had another idea as it tugged itself towards him. "Curse you," Kasumi said.

No longer able to refuse Kasumi trudged after the glowing figure. She made sure he had two hands, but even that was becoming less of a comfort. The darkness retreated briefly, and Kasumi saw the room from her dream. Well, wasn't that just great? Nothing lay on the table and Kasumi took the small blessing. The signs of its previous occupant, however, were disgustingly obvious. The boy bypassed the table, heading to the farthest corner of the room. Never in her life had Kasumi used so much self-control. 

Expecting something to pop out from the corner Kasumi was ready to abort the mission. If need be, she would simply drop the necklace and run for her life. That might prove to be a problem, but she sure would try. The corner was thankfully empty of anything creepy. Instead, Mai was there. 

"Mai!"

She woke slowly. "Kasumi. I'm so glad you're okay!"

"What? Why? You were right behind me."

"No, something's wrong. Everyone reached the basement, but you weren't there. We searched but couldn't find you."

The boy stood to the side. He didn't seem to show any emotions besides that smile, but Kasumi somehow knew that he was getting impatient. "I just got here."

_There is no time_

"Why take me here then?"

"Who are you talking to?" Mai asked. 

"The boy."

"He's here?"

"You can't see him? He's right there." Kasumi pointed to where the boy floated. 

Mai shook her head. 

"How are you here anyway. If I'm apparently missing." 

"I'm sleeping. I can go to places that are impossible when I'm awake." 

"Right, okay, sure, whatever. Can you get me out of here?" The boy made a gesture.

_You can not leave. You are not done_

Kasumi groaned. "I don't think I will survive any more of this. Can't someone else do it?"

Mai looked worried. Kasumi smiled a little to show that she wasn't really serious. That did nothing to help Mai's expression. 

The ground vibrated almost knocking Kasumi off her feet. 

_Hurry. We must go_

"Come on Mai we have to go."

The boy seemed to want to say something, but another small earthquake stopped him. 

_Just come_

"I don't know how much help I'll be. I don't know how this works yet," Mai said as they stumbled along. 

"Don't worry I don't know how much help I'll be either." 

The two nervously chuckled. This was going to be interesting.


	7. Finale

Kasumi wondered what the others were doing in the few minutes they had before everything went wrong. It was more for her own comfort than any actual worry. The others were far more prepared. Even Mai, for all her worries about her abilities, was more prepared and, in Kasumi's opinion, was a better option than her. 

The boy had said that she was convenient. That was as insulting as it was terrifying. Kasumi had never felt so vulnerable before and never wanted to again. If she didn't make it out of here, her parents would never truly know what had happened. There would be no body for them to bury and Kasumi didn't want Mai to be the one to tell her family. 

The darker her thoughts got the slower she walked until the weight of them was too much and she stopped. 

"Kasumi?" Mai looked back at her worried and the boy looked even more annoyed. 

For once the boy's expression changed and it was almost enough to bring Kasumi out of her depression. Almost. He was frowning, a rather boyish expression after his constant smiling. 

_Do not let her get to you._

Kasumi stared blankly at him. What?

_She is affecting your mind. You must stop her._

Mai was a constant presence. She was saying something, but it became a hum in the background as Kasumi tried to understand what was going on. Closing her eyes, she focused on the heavy oppressive feeling that kept her on the floor. It was hard at first, whatever had her was determined to drag her down, but with Mai's voice and the boy's guidance, Kasumi managed to push away the heavy feeling. 

By the time she was done Kasumi was taking in huge gasps of the stale air. Mai had stopped talking and for a second Kasumi wondered why before the chill of the area registered. Whatever breath she had caught in her throat. The floor was dirt like she had suspected but the walls seemed strangely out of place. They were a pure unblemished white. The cold light the boy emitted was doubled by the second one that appeared. 

Mai's mouth was closed tightly, face pinched in fear. They did look identical. Both had too big smiles, pale skin, and dark hair that was close cut to the head. Only the hands were different. Did 'she' realize? Did 'she' care? 

The area was silent for a while before Kasumi realized someone had to do something, else they might be there forever. 

"Hi," she said. 

Mai looked over at her like she was stupid and maybe she was. Oddly, it seemed to release some of the tension. Even the boy seemed a little startled. Kasumi almost laughed. A crazed, nervous laugh, but a laugh none the less. She swallowed the sound before it could escape though, the situation did not need it. 

It was silent again. Surprisingly the handless boy, or the 'she', spoke first. 

"Who are you?" 

"Kasumi." 

"What are you doing?" Mai looked a little angry. 

"You told me not to follow ghosts you never said anything about not talking to them." 

Surprise filtered across Mai's face. "I thought the later would have been obvious," she said.

"Was it?"

"Kasumi," Mai said in a warning tone.

"Yes?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Mai sighed in defeat. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Make sure I don't die."

"As if I'd ever let that happen." 

"Holding you to that," Kasumi said, turning her attention back to the ghosts in front of them. They had waited for them to finish or maybe had figured they were amusing ants or something. 

"Anything else you want to know?" Kasumi asked and got a sharp jab in the side. 

"You're not making this easy," Mai hissed.

"When have I ever?"

"I'm giving you to Naru after this."

Kasumi smiled, genuine laughter bubbling up. 

The boy's expression was now dark, his eyebrows twitched worriedly. The mothers had changed also. It almost seemed to soften. Kasumi's eyebrows rose slightly and a glance at Mai showed she had seen it too. 

"Children are adorable." Kasumi flinched, inexplicably insulted at being considered a child. She was 16, plenty old enough to care for herself. "Why not stay with me?"

A shiver of dread crawled up Kasumi's spine. That didn't sound good. Its good hand reached out before Kasumi could react. She let out a yell as she was suddenly dragged sideways, hitting the dirt hard enough to momentarily wind her. The mother froze, eyes travelling to Kasumi's pocket where the necklace was trying its best to wiggle its way out. The ghost hissed and drew back. 

"You have the ugly thing!" 

There was an accusatory undertone in her voice and Kasumi began to inch backwards slowly. Mai let out a cry and Kasumi turned to see that she was slowly disappearing. 

"How dare you bring that here!" 

"Mai!" Kasumi shouted as the floor rolled, tossing Kasumi onto her back. 

"How dare you!" the woman shouted again. She was losing the visage of the boy and a skeleton flickered behind decaying flesh. Kasumi gapped as she transformed into a ghoul her severed hand now dripping blood, almost like it had just been removed. 

"You mean to mock me with something from the bitch." 

"What?"

"That vulgar thing belongs to her; how dare you bring it in front of me."

Kasumi looked to the boy for help, but he had disappeared. Well wasn't that just wonderful? The dead thing in front of her continued to rage to herself, blood and fluids flying with her ravings. A few landed on Kasumi's face and she tried not to gag. 

_She will not know it for what it is_

The boy's words were a strange comfort and Kasumi vaguely remembered the conversation, or perhaps argument? she had had with the boy. Unable to move Kasumi glanced down at the necklace that continued to glint at her from where it was still trying to escape her pocket. 

The ghoul didn't need Kasumi's input, so she ignored her. Was Mai okay? Everyone else? How was she supposed to get this...thing to remember something that she obviously had strong revulsion for? 

"Right?" 

Crap. Kasumi looked back up startled and worried. The ghoul had stopped talking and looked at her expectantly if that was possible. 

"Umm, yes?" 

She was beginning to look like a drunk housewife and Kasumi wasn't sure what she should do. The threat had shifted from getting killed to getting drunk. The ghoul looked ready to sling her arm around Kasumi's shoulders. The mere thought sent shivers of revulsion through her. Kasumi tried to keep her expression clear, knowing that it would be a good idea to show any opposition at the moment. 

However, Kasumi still had no idea what the thing was talking about. There was something about her son, Kasumi still couldn't believe he'd disappeared, the little shit; and many many many things about her husband, the bastard, and his secretary, the bitch, who he was apparently doing something with. 

The ghoul had been pacing but now deflated, sinking to the ground. Kasumi watched her warily. 

"I loved him; how could he do this to me?" 

Kasumi stayed silent. Did she expect an answer? Having no experience with this emotion Kasumi wasn't sure how to respond, though it still seemed like the ghoul wasn't expecting anything from her. She really hoped Mai was okay and prepared to come back and rescue her. 

The necklace had other ideas however and somehow managed to jerk itself free from Kasumi's pocket. The ghoul's eyes flashed, and all the earlier murderous intent returned. 

"I'm so dead," Kasumi whispered. 

The ghoul's attention was divided between Kasumi and the necklace floating in the air beside her. It appeared Kasumi was about to receive all the hatred of a resentful wife. 

"You aren't getting away this time." The ghoul's smile was back to splitting her face.

Kasumi could feel tears start to prick her eyes. Still stuck to the ground, all she could do was watch as the ghoul got closer. 

"Mai. Now would be a good time to keep your promise." 

As if answering her the necklace shone brightly and the ghoul flinched back. 

_Do it now_

Do what now?! Kasumi still didn't fully understand what was going on. She didn't know what to say, so she did the first thing that came to mind. She screamed. 

The sound echoed in the space with nothing to absorb the sound and Kasumi found it a little cathartic, in a strange morbid kind of way. The ghoul snarled but didn't seem too bothered by the sound. It did seem to keep it at bay though and so Kasumi kept screaming. She hadn't screamed this much since she was a kid and she could feel the strain of it on her vocal cords already. Something needed to happen if Kasumi was to make it out of here alive. 

_ Kasumi _

It was faint but Kasumi heard it and it was all she needed to get a little strength back in her limbs. The others were here somewhere. Wanting to rid herself of the thing forever, Kasumi grabbed the necklace and flung it at the ghoul. It hissed again and avoided it. With a final burst of air from her lungs, Kasumi ran for all she was worth. 

A light appeared beside her and Kasumi wasted precious seconds flinging her arm out sideways, even knowing that it would pass through her target. 

"Where the fuck have you been!" 

"Preparing. You threw the necklace at her."

"Yes, I did."

"We needed it."

"We! There has never been a 'we'. You never tell me anything, so I made the decision to throw it away." 

The boy frowned. Genuine anger filled his face and Kasumi almost stumbled. 

"You know nothing," he hissed.

"You don't tell me anything."

"That thing housed my soul."

Kasumi did stumble, eyes wide and disbelieving. "That didn't seem important enough to share. When. _YOU._ Are. Asking. For. My. Help!"

The boy didn't answer, and his mother's cackle was moving quickly towards them. 

_ Kasumi _

That whisper again. Kasumi knew why she should be angry just not why she was this angry. Like she had just been betrayed by a friend. She had held his soul so perhaps that made a kind of connection. Maybe she'd ask Mai later. If there was a later. 

A figure appeared in the distance and Kasumi had never been happier to see him. "Naru!" 

He wasn't looking at her. 

"I can't go back!" Mai was shouting. "I promised I would protect her."

No one was.

What?

"Masako!" Kasumi yelled. The girl flinched. "Pardon me."

Without really knowing it would work, though she'd heard stories, Kasumi slammed herself full force into Masako. The girl doubled over and oh my lord was it painful. Maybe because Kasumi wasn't dead? This drew the attention of the others and they immediately assumed the worst. Monk was holding the necklace.

"I threw that away."

This brought the others pause. Mai was the first one to speak. 

"Kasumi?"

"Yeah, hope she doesn't hate me after this." 

"What? How?"

"I have no idea, but 'she's ' on the way and I'd really rather not get caught. Oh, and that holds the boy's soul." 

Monk looked down at it strangely. "It does?"

The ghoul made her entrance before Kasumi was able to answer and she was just as ugly in the real world as she had been in whatever space Kasumi had just been. The others seem to have been caught off guard and were startled when the gust of frigid air howled towards them. Kasumi could already feel Masako instinctively start to reject her. 

The necklace jumped in Monks grip and he let go it in surprise. The piece hovered in the air again and Kasumi rushed towards it. The ghoul's eyes snapped to it and she let out another screech. Those who were able covered their ears at the sound. It shook the walls and ceiling, raining dirt down. 

_You must give it back to her_

"How, pray tell, am I going to do that. She clearly doesn't want it and shoving it at her isn't going to help."

 _Use your brain then,_ the boy snapped back. _There are enough of you here I'm sure one of you will be able to come up with something._

Kasumi desperately wanted to retort back but he wasn't wrong. Naru could be smart when he wanted to be, and she had no doubt he already had an idea for a plan. She shot the boy a glare instead; it helped a little. 

It was obvious that Masako was done with her, but Kasumi needed to do one more thing. "Naru, we need to give the necklace back to the ghoul. I have no idea what will happen when we do but I've been informed that it's the only way. Also, she hates it so getting near her with it is going to be almost impossible."

Naru scowled, startling Kasumi. He was always so emotionless she had thought he simply didn't have any. Apparently, he did. 

"I'm probably getting kicked out soon, so I'll have to find another way to help."

Her next line was cut off by a punch that left her breathless. She spiralled a little in confusion before realizing that she was no longer in Masako's body. The girl looked in her direction angrily, face pinched in residual pain, and Kasumi would make sure to beg forgiveness when this was over. 

Masako still held the necklace. Whatever current form Kasumi was in she couldn't touch it. How exactly was she supposed to help now? The ghoul's pained shriek drew everyone's attention and Kasumi saw Lin's Shiki circling it. When had he brought those out? Whatever they were doing seemed to be working and the ghoul was decreasing in size. 

What was once the size of a car became the size of a horse. Its arms seemed to weaken and the swats it made at the Shiki dulled. The aim was off and nine times out of ten she swung at empty air. 

"Now," Naru said, looking over at Masako and the still glowing necklace. Makaso was shaking on her feet, the possession taking lots out of her. "Monk, John."

The two men came over, keeping an eye on the monster. "It will not hold," Lin said, a sheen of sweat beading on his brow. 

"This needs to go there," Naru pointed from the necklace to the ghoul. "Around its neck."

Monk looked skeptically between the two. John just looked resigned. 

"Everyone will distract it. You focus on this." Naru took the necklace and handed it to Monk who looked less than happy at being the one to carry it. 

Unable to really do anything Kasumi watched tense and worried as the plan, if it could be called that, went into motion. Lin's Shiki were beginning to flag, the ghoul getting stronger again as a result. Monk yelled as the ghoul's focus changed to him. 

It hissed again and swung at him. Although still uncoordinated there was enough power behind the swing to mark the floor. 

"Naru!" Monk yelled as another swing came. John was trying his best to pray and run, clutching at the crucifix around his neck. They did little but were able to distract the ghoul enough for Monk to dart forward. Mai looked ready to move in to help even though she would probably only cause more problems. Kasumi moved over to her. 

Lin gave another whistle and his Shiki brightened once more, just enough to blind the shrieking ghoul, allowing Monk to almost choke the monster with the force of his motion. It slammed to the floor, the metal of the necklace like a weight around its neck. 

It was silent for all of ten seconds before the air began to tornado around the ghoul. A shriek of pure pain emanated from the centre as spirits were ripped away. When the wind and noise had died down all that was left was a woman, frail and tired. 

"Mum!" the boy cried and rushed towards the prone woman. 

There wasn't a reaction at first but slowly the woman's eyes fluttered and opened. "Tao? You came back." 

"Of course, I did, I would never leave." There were tears on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry mommy couldn't save you."

"I'm fine now."

The woman wrapped her arms around Tao, pulling him close. They began to glow before disappearing into sparkles. As the last of the sparkles vanished the basement returned abruptly to normal, filled with storage and dust. Kasumi was yanked harshly towards her body with a cry. Hopefully, this meant that everything was over. 

Kasumi woke next to the familiar ceiling of the sleep room. Mai breathed quietly beside her, and she could hear two others in the room. Was it over then? Kasumi sat up with a quiet groan. Her muscles were sore. The air seemed calmer now, less tense. Mai mumbled something and jerked away, blinking around stupidly for several seconds before seeing Kasumi. 

"You're alive!" Her arms flung wide and encased Kasumi in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"Me too. Everything’s, over right?" 

"Yes, Masako spend most of yesterday going through the place and found no traces anywhere. Naru's having Monk and John go through too though, just to make sure." 

Kasumi sagged into the hug, never more grateful for anything. "Does that mean I can go home then?"

Mai chuckled, sounding a little sad. "Yes." 

Kasumi pulled away slightly to see Mai trying to hide her expression. "I'm still coming over. I just won't go on missions."

"Really? This hasn't scared you away from us?" 

"No. You're too good a friend to lose over something like this."

Mai smiled and hugged her again. 

"Just please make sure to never invite me on any more cases. Ever." 

"Deal. I don't think Naru would allow it anyway. You cause too much trouble." 

Kasumi chuckled a little too and leaned into Mai. She was really glad to be alive.


End file.
